High school students explore life as a nurse during C-N summer camp

^{Madison Roy, at left, a senior at David Crockett High School, and Madison Marsee, a junior at Clinton High School, get hands-on experience with the help of UT Lifestar during Carson-Newman Summer Nursing Camp.}

(July 20, 2017) JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Students from nearly 20 different high schools built confidence in their selves and their skills during Carson-Newman’s fourth-annual Summer Nursing Camp.

Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors submitted applications to attend the camp, which is led by C-N instructor and camp director Danielle McIntyre and five C-N nursing graduate students.

“We felt that these students exhibited the qualities of what it takes to be a nurse,” said Andrea Elliot, RN-BSN, and a C-N nurse educator MSN student.

The 25 participating high school students enjoyed hands-on experiences during the weeklong camp. Guest speakers included representatives from the Jefferson County EMS and Fire Department and the pilot and crew from UT Lifestar, who landed their helicopter on campus for the students.

“I didn’t really know I wanted to go into nursing until this camp,” said Mary Wallis Bradley, a junior at Ravenwood High School. “Coming here made me realize this is what I’m meant to do.”

The camp concluded Friday with a pinning ceremony and presentations prepared by the students.
Franklin County High School senior Mackenzie Conn said this was her first year at the camp, and it brought about more change in her than she ever expected.

“I really feel like it pushed me to feel more confident in myself and have more self-esteem,” she said. “I’m not very confident in myself, but this campus pulled that out in me.”

Founded in 1851, Carson-Newman is a Christian liberal arts university located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, among the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The University has over 2,500 students and offers 50 undergraduate majors, as well as associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.